Chapter 795: Last-Minute Winner! Slaughtering Manchester United! Era-Defining Transfer! God-Like Wang Shuo! Ferguson, Wake Up!

To Ferguson, the most absurd notion was that many people actually called Vieira and Roy Keane defensive midfielders.

It was utterly ridiculous!

They were pure central midfielders in a traditional 4-4-2 system, just like Gerrard, Lampard, and others. The only differences lay in whether they defended a bit more or a bit less, or if they were slightly more robust or slender.

Take Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, for example—was he a defensive midfielder?

But Gilberto Silva was!

After the Brazilian arrived, he often played as the deepest man in a double-pivot setup. He would even drop back into the defensive line, allowing Kolo Toure to boldly push forward and utilize the Ivorian’s mobility. At the same time, this completely unlocked Vieira’s potential. However, all of this was built entirely on the foundation of Gilberto Silva acting as a solid wall.

This was also why Wenger was later willing to let Vieira go and start using Fabregas.

It was because Vieira wasn’t indispensable!

In recent years, Wenger had clearly fallen into a state of confusion. He brought in more and more foreign players but couldn’t seem to develop them, trapping himself in a bizarre, vicious cycle.

Some claimed it was because Wenger had no money for transfers…

That was obvious nonsense!

How much had Kolo Toure cost? How much for Gilberto Silva? And how much for Fabregas?

The media and the fans were always like this! It was just like how they currently spent all day criticizing Phil Jones, Smalling, and Evans. But they never stopped to consider that they were only hyping up Fabregas because he had successfully proven himself. If Fabregas hadn’t broken through, how would he be any different from Bentner, Flintpon, or even the current Aaron Ramsey?

The core issue was: why did *he* succeed when *they* failed?

The simplest logic applied. How did Fabregas perform at Arsenal? And how did he perform after going to Barça?

How did Eevee perform at Inter Milan and AC Milan? And how did he do when he went to Barça?

If Ibrahimovic had seized just one opportunity against Inter Milan during the 09/10 Champions League campaign, Barça would have advanced to the final, and the destiny of the championship would have been completely rewritten.

Perhaps then, Eevee wouldn’t be the Eevee of today, but the Eevee of a championship-winning Barça!

One could argue that it was a lack of ability that caused him to miss those chances. But how could anyone be so certain?

On the football pitch, ability was indeed crucial, but wasn’t there also a tiny element of luck?

Since the start of this season, Ferguson had been keeping a close eye on Arsenal. He watched the Gunners transform, bit by bit.

He felt this was a massive gamble by Wenger and Arsenal—one comparable to the massive gamble David Dunn had once taken on Wenger.

And Wang Shuo was the modern-day Bergkamp!

One obvious trait was that, just like Bergkamp, he was the kind of player who could bring a completely new tactical revolution to the Premier League while simultaneously elevating the performances of the teammates around him.

In fact, Wang Shuo might even be better than Bergkamp!

The gap between Bergkamp and Cantona lay in the former’s lack of that iron-blooded tenacity that the Manchester United legend possessed.

But Wang Shuo had it!

Furthermore, Wang Shuo was incredibly well-rounded!

He was comprehensively, flawlessly, and exceptionally well-rounded! Almost every single one of his skills reached the level of a world-class, or even a top-tier star.

And the most miraculous part of all was his running ability!

He could run relentlessly!

What was Ferguson’s understanding of football?

How had he managed to mold this battered and bruised Manchester United squad into a team capable of going toe-to-toe with the world’s elite?

Running!

Attrition!

That was Ferguson’s secret!

It was achieved through frantic off-the-ball movement, relentless pressing regardless of stamina, disrupting the opponent’s passing, organization, and attacks, and launching rapid counterattacks after winning the ball back…

Many people might say, “Damn, what’s so hard about that? Who doesn’t know how to run? Who *can’t* run?”

People who said such things had never managed anyone, let alone a team of dozens of individuals.

How could you guarantee that these men would run on the pitch exactly as you envisioned, without holding anything back? How could you be certain they were truly running, rather than just going through the motions?

If they failed to track back on defense, how could you be sure if the player had given it their all or was merely pretending to try?

Did the concept of “pretending to work hard” even need to be explained? Did anyone really believe players didn’t know how to slack off?

Ferguson didn’t even have to do anything. He just had to stand there, and everyone was willing to listen to him, play for him, and lay their lives on the line for him!

When he led his team onto the pitch, every single Manchester United player, from top to bottom, exuded a domineering aura that struck terror into the hearts of countless opponents!

Didn’t believe it?

Just go ask the other Premier League teams. When they faced Manchester United, didn’t their morale instantly shrink by a third the moment they stepped out of the dressing room?

Did a player’s position matter? Was playing in the right position important?

It was important, yet also unimportant!

Giggs played just as brilliantly as a left winger as he did as a central midfielder. Carrick performed solidly whether he was playing in the midfield, as a defensive midfielder, or even as a center-back.

As long as you could get every player on the team to execute your instructions without compromise and fearlessly face opponents who were already intimidated before the whistle blew, you too could be invincible in the Premier League!

But now, Wenger’s Arsenal had instilled a sliver of dread in Ferguson.

Wang Shuo could run way too much!

Just imagine it: a combination of “Messi and Ronaldo” who was omnipresent, sprinting all over the pitch, and capable of running for a full 90 minutes. What kind of concept was that?

When Arsenal organized their tactics around Wang Shuo, and when the Gunners players habitually anchored themselves around him, running alongside him, expending their stamina without hesitation… what kind of effect would that produce?